TNT’s Dallas Styles: J.R.’s Sweaters

In “The Price You Pay,”J.R. comes home to Southfork, presumably for the first time in many years. The house has changed a bit and so has J.R. – or at least that’s what he wants Bobby to think.

The older brother tricks the younger into welcoming him back to the ranch by pretending to be down and out. What Bobby doesn’t know: J.R. is secretly scheming with John Ross to seize control of Southfork and its vast oil reserves.

J.R.’s wardrobe appears to be part of his charade. At the ranch, he wears cardigan sweaters in muted colors, including when Ann finds him in the storage barn looking at an old family photo album and when he shuffles around the Southfork kitchen making breakfast for the family.

The Mister Rogers-style cardigans make Larry Hagman look soft, even a little cuddly. They also evoke memories of the sweater J.R. wore in “Conundrum,” the old show’s final episode, when the character was drunk, depressed and suicidal.

J.R.’s cardigans are a far cry from the days when he telegraphed his predatory nature by donning safari shirts. But don’t worry. The Mister Nice Guy act doesn’t last long; it remains to be seen if the sweaters do.

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[…] the darkness of J.R.’s bedroom. Even J.R.’s wardrobe reflects his deceptive style: He wears a cardigan sweater because he wants to give everyone the impression he’s become warm and fuzzy in old age. […]